This Kitchen Error Is Making You Consume More Calories

We've previously discussed the positive associations between messiness and intelligence, but, as to be expected, there are plenty of downsides to living life in a state of disorganized chaos. From inhibiting productivity to slashing energy levels, clutter and disorganization can weigh heavily on your psyche. But little did we know, it can also weigh heavily on your figure. According to a new study published in the Sage Journal of Environment and Behavior, "cluttered and chaotic environments can cause stress, which ultimately leads to over-snacking and consuming more calories,"writes My Body+Soul. Conversely, a clean, organized kitchen can help you to make healthier decisions when it comes to snacking.

To reach this conclusion, researchers placed one-half of a group of 98 female undergraduate participants into a cluttered, chaotic kitchen, and the other half in a neat, clean kitchen. Both kitchens had bowls of cookies, crackers, and carrots available for the women. When all was said and done, the women waiting in the cluttered kitchen consumed almost double the amount of cookies than the women in the clean kitchen. Separately, some women were also asked to write about a time where they felt very in-control in their environment, while the other chronicled a time in which they felt very out of control. Upon entering the cluttered kitchen, those who had thought about an out-of-control time in their life consumed roughly 100 more calories than the former group.

"Being in a chaotic environment and feeling out of control is bad for diets," said lead author of the study, Lenny Vartanian. "It seems to lead people to think, ‘Everything else is out of control, so why shouldn’t I be?'" While there was no explanation as to why the study focused exclusively on females, Vartanian believes males would behave the same way, given the circumstances.